Bill Barrett to build temporary community on Tavaputs Plateau

It's a long commute over dirt roads from civilization to Prickly Pear Mesa atop the Tavaputs Plateau, so Bill Barrett Corp. is going to build a small community up there to save gas well drillers the trip.

The drillers that live there will get the services of a chef and cleaning crew in addition to saving fuel and wear and tear on their vehicles.

The company got the go-ahead last Friday when the county commission approved the plan to put in enough temporary housing units for 45 to 50 workers on an old well-site on private land. Don Hamilton and Doug Denison, representing the company, told commissioners that there will be no permanent equipment on site.

Water and sewage systems will be temporary, as will electrical generation. The company will build containments around the fuel storage for the generators, but those will be removed along with everything else when the drilling is done and the land will be reclaimed.

Denison and Hamilton called the camp a win-win situation. There will be convenience for the workers and since the number of commutes will be cut, the traffic on the Nine Mile and Harmon Canyon roads will be reduced as well.